This is my account of our day-to-day life in the French Pyrénées, initially in the unspoilt Ariège department and then further west along the chain, where wild boar and deer are prevalent, where birds of prey call as they circle overhead catching the thermals, where wild produce is available in abundance and where both the summer and the winter outdoor sports enthusiast is spoilt for choice!

Sunday, 9 December 2012

More snowy stuff

The weather during this past week has been dismal ..... cold and wet and with strong gusty winds, but not quite cold enough here at 600m to snow. However, from 800m it was a different story. Today dawned cold, crisp and clear - not a day to waste indoors after being effectively cooped up all week. No, we had to get up into the mountains for some fresh air, sun and snow and a reccy for some potential ski touring activity this winter. It was a half hour's drive to the Col de Menté and from there a short hop up to the Mourtis ski station which is not due to open for another 2 weeks, despite the amazing conditions. The piste bashers and snow canons were busy preparing the pistes which provided the perfect surface for us and the pooch to snowshoe up. We soon regretted taking our snowshoes and not our skis as we were surrounded by ski tourers who were taking full advantage of the fantastic powder, skinning up and skiing down the bowl on the other side of the ski resort. But it was stunningly beautiful up there and we will be heading up with our skis during the coming week. In the meantime, I'll let the photos do the talking